1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for the production of free-flowing detergent granules and/or partial granules, in which water-containing alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglycoside pastes are dried and at the same time granulated in a turbo-dryer with rotating fittings in the presence of surfactants and/or other detergent ingredients.
2. Prior Art
Powder-form detergents are normally produced by spray drying. To this end, a water-containing slurry of the ingredients, for example surfactants, builders and fillers, is pumped into the spray drying tower and sprayed through nozzles arranged at the head of the tower. Ascending air with a temperature of 250.degree. to 300.degree. C. dries the slurry and evaporates the adhering water so that a substantially water-free granulated or powder-form product is obtained at the tower exit. Particulars of this process can be found, for example, in ROEMPP Chemie Lexikon, Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, Vol. V, 1992 under the heading "spray drying".
However, this process is not suitable for the production of powders containing alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglycosides as their surfactant component (either individually or in admixture with other surfactants), because the high temperatures required in the spray drying tower can lead to partial decomposition of the glucoside. The outcome of this are granules or partial granules with poor color quality and unsatisfactory performance properties. In the present context, partial granules are understood to be intermediate products from which detergents can be produced by mixing in the presence of suitable active substances.
Accordingly, the problem addressed by the present invention was to provide a new process for the production of detergent granules and/or partial granules which would be free from the disadvantages mentioned above.